As students of the University of St. Thomas, giving back to our community aligns with the mission of our university and should be a priority in our lives. Advancing the common good includes bettering our environment and connecting with the people in our community.

Volunteering or a form of service learning should not only be required for certain courses and clubs, but instead should be a requirement to graduate from the University.

According to a study published by the London School of Economics in Social Science and Medicine, people who volunteer more are happier than those who don’t.

As a college student myself, I know that it is so easy to be completely encompassed by our own needs and to-do lists. Since leaving our family homes and coming to school, the only person we have had to consider in most decisions is ourselves — which personally feels liberating and empowering. But with this, it is easy to be consumed by the monotony of homework and exams. It is when we take time to think about others that we are rewarded and feel fulfilled.

Now I know just as much as anyone: We have literally no available time.

Although we do not have class all day as we did in high school, the amount of out of class work is far more rigorous. Not to mention, many college students are employed. In fact, I currently have four jobs. Also unlike high school, we now have bills to pay. But all of these obligations only sum up to the infamous “I’m too busy.”

Making time and showing up for people is what fosters human connection.

To further my understanding of the true impact of volunteering, I spoke with Dr. Richard Rexeisen, a marketing professor at St. Thomas. Receiving his Bachelor’s degree in psychology and eventually his M.B.A and Ph. D. in marketing, he thoroughly understands the connection between community involvement and a fulfilling educational experience.

Dr. Rexeisen explained to me that “by being of service to others you’re actually serving yourself.”

Rexeisen has served as the program director for the London Business Semester Program for a total of seven semesters.

During his time abroad, he took many opportunities to encourage students to reflect on their service learning, which is required as a part of the Business 200 course. Dr. Rexeisen found that service learning, “has a bigger impact if it is a facilitated experience, so that there is an opportunity for some sort of directed self reflection.”

From my own experience studying abroad last January, I couldn’t agree more that facilitated reflection improves the quality of the experience immensely. This not only applies to abroad experiences, but moments here at home.

Furthermore, a recurring insight was the intimidating rhetoric of “requirements.” We have been students for most of our lives, and we are more familiar than we’d like to be with requirements. But in this case, the requirement of volunteering is not only benefiting you personally, but makes for a great addition to your resume.

Before I let Dr. Rexeisen go, he said something that will stick with me:

“At the core of St. Thomas’ mission is creating habits of the heart.”

A servant heart is one that is selfless and motivated to be generous in all parts of life. Making time for others will not only benefit those around us, but will create a habit in our heart that will carry into the rest of our lives.

Anna Hoffman can be reached at hoff0001@stthomas.edu.